I'm Back
by i am gone pals
Summary: Just a cute little story of little Romano missing his boss -even if he won't admit it- Just a little something to show I'm not dead ;u;


A little boy, no older than 8, was walking around in the backyard. Most people would find nothing wrong with this, but when you lived in a huge house and your backyard consisted of field upon field of gardens, well…there is a bit of a problem with this.

The child was looking around curiously, pouting as he passed row by row of his favorite fruit. The bright red skin of the tomatoes gleamed in the sunlight. The boy was convinced this was the perfect time to look for ripe fruit, seeing as his guardian would be coming home today after being gone so long, fighting.

"You better be okay," Lovino whispered softly as he picked another tomato. He had been past too many rows of tomatoes to count, but had only picked a few, wanting to find only the best. He carried them in his apron, one hand picking fruit as the other held the end up the apron up, creating a small area to carry the tomatoes.

* * *

><p>Back at the house later that night, when the sun was just beginning to go down over the trees in the distance, Antonio was just coming home. He was limping as he walked up to the large stone steps of his home. Going inside, there were a few maids, real ones, because he couldn't always (ever) trust Lovino. As much as he loved his little tomate, he couldn't be trusted with cleaning.<p>

"Alize, have you seen Lovino?" he asked.

His clothes were torn, he was covered in blood, and his dirty ax sat by the door, but his first priority was to check on his Lovino.

* * *

><p>It was nearly three years ago. Lovino was only 5 at the time. Antonio settled down for the night, sighing deeply as he went to bed, the last time he'd have such a comfort for a while.<p>

"T-tonio?" a small voice called out. Looking over, Antonio saw his little henchman standing in his night clothes, a pillow clutched to his chest as tears ran down his red cheeks.

"Lovino?" Antonio asked, surprised. He got up immediately, going to the crying boy. "What's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?"

"N-no!" Lovi said, clutching Antonio's shirt as he was picked up, clinging to the older. "I-I just h-heard you were l-leaving!"

Antonio was shocked, he really had hoped to tell the other tomorrow before he left to save him from unneeded worry, but it didn't seem like it would be happening. "It'll only be for just a little while…."

The young Italian looked up with wide eyes at the other, shaking.

"I-I'm sorry! Whatever I did…I'm sorry! B-but please d-don't leave! I-I'll be n-nicer or w-w-whatever you want, b-but…you p-promised when I came here y-you wouldn't l-leave! That you were d-different…"

It took a moment of confusion for Antonio to finally catch on.

"No! Lovino, no, I'm leaving because of you! I need to go fight so people won't take you from me! I'm fighting for you, mi tomate~"

Lovino looked up at the man, confused.

"P-promise?" he asked, wiping the tears away.

"Yes! I promise! When I get back home, I'll find you first thing. Alright?"

The little Italian nodded. That night as he fell asleep with the boy cuddled in his arms, and he realized this was the first time Lovi never even attempted to push him away.

* * *

><p>"I believe he's in the garden, sir," Alize mumbled, before running off to do the rest of the needed chores.<p>

"Thank you," Antonio called out to her.

He knew the girl left quickly because she didn't like seeing him hurt like that with no treatment. None of them did. But he made a promise.

"Lovino!" Antonio called out, stepping into the garden.

* * *

><p>"Lovino!"<p>

Said boy turned around after hearing his name. He let a small smile grace his features. After so many years, he had started to forget what his guardian's voice would sound like. That alone was a reason he'd cried himself to sleep more than once, sleeping on the elder's bed and hugging the other's pillow's, which had slowly began to lose the vibrant smell of tomatoes and herbs of their owner.

Being careful not to drop the 10 or 11 tomatoes he was carrying in his apron, he ran as fast as he could toward the other.

* * *

><p>As soon as Antonio saw Lovino, he was speechless. He'd grown while he was gone…a fact that made him both proud and a little sad. Lovino had aged slowly, as all nations did as children, but…he guessed with most of the Spanish influences off to fight the war, the natural Italian culture had gotten to flourish a bit.<p>

"I-I picked you t-these," Lovino mumbled, looking down and bringing the Spaniard's attention to the tomatoes he'd picked for him. Of course, Antonio wasn't paying any attention to the tomatoes, much preferring the stare at the adorable shade of red on his little boy's cheeks.

"Thank you," Antonio said warmly, taking one Lovino held out for him.

He'd wanted so badly to pick up and hug the other, and hold him close and promise to never leave again, but…he'd been gone so long, he didn't know what'd changed with Romano. His Lovi usually treated him with a family sort of violence. Naturally unable to read the atmosphere, he couldn't figure out whether the gift was a sign of missing him, or just a detached formality. Did his Lovino even think of him the same…he'd never really shown too much caring toward the Spaniard, save for the day before he left.

That, and the fact he was covered in grime and dirt and sweat and blood kept him from hugging the other.

"Let's go inside and put these in a bowl," Antonio suggested, holding out his hand for the other to take. He hadn't meant to, but it was a parental habit he was quickly falling back into, even after all the time being gone.

It brought a smile to his face when the other's hand shyly slipped into his own, the small fingers clutching his much larger hand as tight as they could.

* * *

><p>Lovino was initially shocked by the lack of nicknames and affection he was used to the other lavishing him with. Of course, as soon as Spain offered a hand, he'd grabbed it as tight as he could, Antonio would disappear again if he let go.<p>

Questions flooded Lovino's mind as they walked back up to the house.

'What if Spain finally realized how useless I am while he was gone? What if he doesn't want me anymore? What if he's gonna throw me out, or finally send me to a new boss….'

These terrible questions distracted Lovino even as they entered the house as Antonio carefully took and washed off the tomatoes, placing them in a bowl.

They weren't enough, though, to distract him from Antonio picking him up as soon as he was done with his task, clutching the other to his chest.

"I'm sorry for being gone for so long. I missed you so much, mi tomate~"

Those words brought forward a flood of emotions Lovino had slowly learned to shove into the back of his mind. However, the Spanish man could always get a reaction out of him.

Antonio was drying his cheeks for him before he realized he was crying.

"L-lovi?"

"W-why were you g-gone so long? You l-left me here, and…and I hate b-bring alone, damn i-it! I m-missed you so much, but I started not being a-able to remember things about y-you, and it made me scared t-that maybe you'd forgotten me, a-and you weren't g-gonna come home and…"

* * *

><p>Antonio was shocked by his little henchman's rant, tears still streaking down that light olive skin.<p>

"I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly. "I won't leave you again. Shh, I'm here now. Calm down, it's all alright."

Slowly but surely, the little Italian in his arms calmed down, rubbing his sleeve over his face a few times to rid himself of the remaining tears.

"….promise?"

"Of course!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: God, this failed so much without the lines. -_- I'm sorry, whoever read this before those were put in! D: But, this is just something to show I'm not completly dead. o-o Hope you liked it! :D**

**Thank you for reading! Please review!**


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